The Florida Panthers took a 2-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers last night with six goals scored. The Oilers even had to sub to their backup goalie to try a different tactic. It was a boat race for the Panthers. The defense for the Oilers just looked unable to stop the Panthers from scoring. Which leads to a question, where has former Badger Ty Emberson been in these Stanley Cup Finals, he's yet to play a single minute.
Ty Emberson has yet to play a single minute in the Stanley Cup Finals
In fact, Emberson hasn't played since May 10th in a playoff game against the Los Angeles Kings, getting about seven minutes of action. Why isn't he seeing any playing time? The answer is relatively straightforward. He's buried on the depth chart.
Emberson is listed as the fourth right defenseman, which means that he's probably realistically eighth on the depth chart. This makes him about a whole line shift or two away from seeing ice time. He would only get in if the coaches decide they need to shake things up or if there is an injury or two.
Badger fans will have to settle for rooting for Trent Frederic who also is a former Wisconsin Badgers hockey player. He is part of the third shift of forwards and sees somewhere around 7-10 minutes a game. He's played in every single one of the Stanley Cup games and has recorded a shot on goal in each of them.
Emberson was a star defenseman at Wisconsin, where he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Tournament Team player and a team leader at plus-15. He went on to have a depth piece role in the NHL and is now part of the Edmonton Oilers' chase for the Stanley Cup.